


Xixi and Jerome

by sammer, SnailsArePals



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, WE TRYING, What is going on, kinda crack but we like it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:27:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22190284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammer/pseuds/sammer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailsArePals/pseuds/SnailsArePals





	1. First Day

The first day of class was always the worst. Jerome peered through the window at the baker’s dozen of bright, overly happy, energetic young dragons talking to each other.

A sudden chill caused the spikes along his spine to stand up at the realization that he would have to mentor them. Despite the fear, Jerome trundled into the classroom as he did every time there was a new batch.

By all that is good in this world, they didn’t even stop talking when he walked in, but somehow got louder. Awkward twitching wings and newly grown horns unintentionally knocking together. An orange one asked him about the schedule and a blue one asked him about lunch, already crowding him with their squeaky puberty voices. He had to bodily push both kids out of the way as he moved towards the front of the classroom.

“Scheduling is going to depend on the concentration you choose. If you want lunch already, then you deserve to go on a diet.” He could have wept when his words finally made the younglings shut up. 

After clearing his throat, he began the session: “My name is Jerome and I am one of the many blacksmiths employed by Iron Ore Incorporated. I will be the one overseeing your apprenticeship for the next three weeks until you start working as interns with individual employees. Any questions?”

He glanced around during the silence that followed to gather some first impressions. The green one was nervous, unintentionally sending smoke rings to the ceiling. He prayed that it wouldn’t set off the fire alarm. Blue pouted at his lunch proclamation but remained silent. Orange looked somewhat sated. All the others seemed bored. He snorted to himself at the joy these teenagers and their mood swings bring to a work environment. 

Satisfied that no one had a question, he grabbed a sizable stack of paper that had been sitting on his desk and dropped it into the arms of the green one. Greenie seemed to get more nervous and was now dangerously close to setting off the fire alarm. 

“Pass those out,” he grunted. While the kids were occupied, he took the opportunity to root around in his bag. He really needed his travel mug. After a few moments, he realized it wasn't there. Truly, the perfect accompaniment to this day. He allowed himself to wallow in self-pity over not getting his life-juice, in the meantime, each youngling now had a stack of papers. Every youngling except, Greenie and Brown. 

“You two- green and brown- why don’t you have papers?” Brown looked offended at being called brown… did brown expect him to have names memorized? Greenie looked like she was gonna be sick, her face scales turning a darker shade of green than the rest of her. 

“Sorry, Mr. Jerome. I-uh-passed them out. And-uh-didn’t have no more for-um-Alaya and me,” Green said. He was a bit surprised that Greenie actually spoke, maybe there was some hope for her. 

“Who’s Alaya?” He said without actually wanting to know. He probably should lay off the kid but He was feeling a bit exasperated and the first hour hasn’t even passed yet.

“My name is Alaya.” Brown puffed up, looking like an offended peacock. Her tail lashed on the floor and hit Orange’s arms. Orange dropped her papers in shock. 

It was almost comical, Brown and Orange kept bumping horns trying to pick up the papers from the floor. Then Orange’s horns caught on Brown’s, and Orange slipped on paper while trying to get un-caught. Orange’s wings flipped out and smacked a few kids. All the kids started shouting, because that would help. Then, of course, all the papers were on the floor and Orange was still caught on Brown’s horns. 

Jerome shot out a small firework-like blast to get their attention. A loud high-pitch screech erupted from the ceiling. The younglings all screamed at the sudden noise. Oh, joy. 

“Shut up!” He shouted over the din, wings flaring out. The kids turned towards him, silent and still. The sprinklers choose that moment to burst and douse absolutely everything. You would think the younglings had never seen water at the panic this caused. Greenie started crying, Purple was sporting a bruise on his cheek, and Brown and Orange were still caught on each other's horns. 

“Is this a bad time?” 

Jerome whipped around to see who else he would have to deal with. He decided the gods hated him. Because standing in the doorway, holding his stupid travel mug, was Xixi. Of course, the Qilin was standing under the one sprinkler in the room not spraying water. As they walked further in, the sprinklers above them magically stopped working. 

“I wanted to surprise you because I noticed you left your mug in my office, but you seem to be a bit busy,” Xixi said while having this hurt expression that made Jerome wanted to smash his face into the wall for causing it.

“No, everything’s fine.” He hissed through his teeth. 

He noticed some of the younglings look stunned at him being civil with another being. But each of the sprinklers was sputtering out the longer the being-of-luck stood in the room, so Jerome didn’t really care if he lost some of the youngling’s respect. The infernal screeching of the alarm had finally stopped and the sprinklers were just dripping. You would think a building designed and built for dragons would have a less-sensitive fire alarm system. 

Xixi stepped around the mushy papers plastered on the floor and, being the nice person they were, went to untangle Orange and Brown. The younglings were pretty much okay, a few bumps and bruises, but no one needed the nurse, which was a small blessing. 

Jerome rubbed at his temple, desperate to will away the headache that would come with all the new paperwork that now needed to be done. Xixi patted his shoulder in sympathy and handed him the travel mug, before wandering out of the room. 

“Dismissed for lunch.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. The younglings seemed to be fine with it as they all shuffled out of the door. Xixi came back with two brooms once the younglings had left. 

“I guess this is what happens when you forget your coffee,” they said with a mischievous smile.  
Jerome wanted to snap at them, but the coffee in the travel mug did taste good. 

“I guess you have to bring it sooner next time,” he said while shooting Xixi a mischievous smile of his own.


	2. Oh my god, they were roommates

The intercom crackled to life and an air horn thoroughly got the attention of everyone in the lunchroom. Alaya felt dread when the bone-tired voice of their teacher echoed out. She, along with the other interns, scrambled to get their stuff together and back to the classroom. 

When they approached the room, they could hear raised voices. Pushing open the door, Jerome motioned them to sit down while continuing to talk with the Qilin. 

“While you all got to enjoy lunch, Xixi and I were cleaning up the mess you made,” the newly named Xixi elbowed their teacher in the side. Jerome snapped his teeth but the Qilin only smiled. 

Jerome cleared his throat, “the mess the sprinklers caused. Either way, I am going to get lunch for Xixi and myself.” The Qilin elbowed Jerome again. 

“Stop doing that,” Jerome hissed. 

“Stop being salty,” the Qilin said back as if he was not speaking to the grim reaper. 

Jerome huffed. He picked up his bag and started to walk out of the room. “Xixi is in charge of the lesson until I get back,” he said over his shoulder. 

“Still salty!” The Qilin called just before the door closed.

The younglings all had the same thought: _who the heck is this dude?_ The Qilin had randomly came in, helped untangle Alaya and Tim’s horns, then spoke to the dragon known as the **Drill Sergeant** , who responded _without spite_ , almost like he cared about the Qilin’s feelings. _As if_ , Alaya scoffed, there is no way he would care about something as superficial as _feelings_. 

Alaya raised her claw before the Qilin could say anything, which only seemed to amuse him. He pointed at her with his tail - which was unusually fluffy compared to the spiked dragon tails swishing on the floor of the classroom - and nodded.

“I have never seen a Qilin in real life before.” 

Said Qilin raised an eyebrow - he has eyebrows! 

Distracted by the newfound revelation, Alaya suddenly forgot what she wanted to say. “Um. What’s your name?”

The other younglings giggled at her but the Qilin didn’t seem to mind. 

“The name you can call me is Xixi.” 

Tim raised his hand, “Mr. Xixi, where are you from?”

“I was born and raised in the Eastern Kingdom. I moved here about twelve years ago.” Xixi said while examining the whiteboard marker, twirling it in his paw.

Jerry seemed to perk up at the mention of the eastern kingdom. “My grandpa told me stories about the eastern kingdom. What is it like?” 

Xixi tapped his chin with the marker. “Well, my city has a lot of traffic,” he turned to point the marker at the staring students, “Mind you, it has gotten better in recent years. We got a new public transportation system.” 

Jerry glanced around to confirm that this was not a normal response. Undeterred, he tried again. “My grandpa talked a lot about the lights and colors. Could you tell us about that?” 

Xixi uncapped the marker and started making dots on the board. “It is pretty brightly colored in my hometown. I think every shop has a neon sign. That has to be bad if you’re epileptic. Imagine walking home but then the ‘shrimp half off’ sign flashing in your face causes you to start foaming at the mouth in the middle of the sidewalk.” Xixi said while connecting the dots. 

“What about the magic? I read in a book that the Eastern kingdom is one of the only places where magic is free based,” Tim yelled.

Xixi seemed unconcerned and continued to connect the dots he drew. “Please don’t yell- that gives me anxiety. To answer your question,” Xixi pointed the marker into the air, “I would have to know what free based magic is.” 

Tim looked aghast, “Can you tell us _anything_ about magic in the Eastern kingdom?”

Xixi brushed his mane out of his eyes, unintentionally streaking it with dry erase marker. “A problem we have each spring back in my hometown was the fairies. The little buggers would appear screeching out of trees and rocks and take all your pennies and left socks. Luckily, I don’t wear socks,” he chuckled to himself before capping the marker. He had drawn a picture of a cat wearing shoes. 

“How do you know Jerome?” Kennedy shouted from the back of the room. 

In fervent agreement, all the kids nodded or shouted out the same question. This was something that would be answered in a straight-forward manner. 

Xixi seemed taken aback by the noise level. “It’s sort of funny. I met him-”  
Whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by the sound of the door slamming open. Jerome held murder in his eyes, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the iced coffee and take out bag he was holding. He stalked forward, tail swishing in agitation.

“Did you know I can hear you from the _front door_?” He hissed at them. “What could you possibly be doing to require that much noise?” While the intention of the question was rhetorical in nature, Xixi responded anyway. 

“The kids were asking about my life. I was just about to tell them how I know you.”

Jerome took a long sip of his coffee. “That’s it? How we know each other?”

Xixi nodded, attention now focused on rooting around in the take out bag. 

“Oh my god, we are _roommates_ ,” Jerome said, eyes flipping to the ceiling and the sky beyond for answers. 

The younglings nodded. All silently agreeing to not understand adult relationships.


	3. Origin story- part 1

_They actually were not roommates - not yet anyway._

_After all, Jerome only came to The City a few years ago, after he finally earned his blacksmith license. For the life of him, he could not have expected what happened next._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was weird that he could fit his entire life within a backpack. Jerome had been on the bus for three hours now, hugging his backpack to his chest. His ma had saved up a few dollars for him to take with him. Just as he was leaving out the door, she held his hand and pressed the wrinkled dollars into his palm. She hadn’t said anything but shook her head, tears slipping over her cheeks, when he tried to give them back. 

But he was on the bus, going away from his home and all the memories it held, and he was going to The City and getting a new job. 

He was going to get better. Feel better. Be better. 

The first step was finding his apartment building once he got off the bus. His common was rusty, so he hoped he would find someone who spoke cryllic. 

The bus driver was kind enough to direct him towards the district the apartments were in. The lady behind him had sneered at the bit of country twang he still had left. 

He hugged his bag closer to himself when he stepped off the bus. There where more beings along the sidewalks than in his whole town. There were humanoids. One of the humanoids glared at him for staring, but he had never seen a humanoid before and the bipedal walk was so strange.

Someone shoved him forward and he was reminded that he was blocking the exit. He scrambled forward, barely keeping a hold of his backpack. 

Sooner than he would have thought in such a big city, he found the district he would make his home. It was a bit...less clean than the picture on his phone and there were a few (over thirty) needles chilling outside of the apartment buildings door. But, he was sure that it was fine. This place was the only place he could afford anyway. 

“You- tiny dragon- you are the new tenant?” An old griffin said, the mole on her (it?) chin wobbling. 

“Yes, ma’am.” He said, trying to be polite.

The griffin grunted. “You have apartment four,” she said, shoving a key into his hand,  
“Rent due on Tuesday. First Tuesday. Don’t call if problem.” With that proclamation, the griffin sauntered away. 

He didn’t know if everyone in the city was like this or if this one was weird.

Judging from the shouting coming from behind his neighbor's door, he guessed that most beings in the city were like the griffin. Oh, Joy. 

The apartment was completely bare. No furniture whatsoever. No bed, no table, no chair, not even a freaking toilet in the bathroom. He dropped his bag on the floor. It took all of his will not to cry. He didn’t have money to buy anything. All he had was the three dollars his ma gave him. 

The heater in the corner let out a jet of steam, catching the curtains on fire. He rushed over to the window and detached the curtains. He beat the fire out on the wall just below the window. 

Now he really wanted to cry. 

He slumped against the window, gazing at the street life below. The gurgle of his stomach broke him of his ponderings. He was hungry, but where would he find food? 

A glowing open sign caught his attention. The cafe had a flashing open sign. Red letters sporadically popping up across the street. 

The dollars felt heavy in his hand as he walked across the street as if the green of the grass and the warmth of the sun were physically held in his hand, tempting him to go back home. He put it out of his mind as he approached the counter.

“What can I get started for you?” The barista asked, customer service voice in full effect. 

He placed the few dollars on the counter. “What can I get for this much?” 

“You can look at the menu behind me for our variety of choices.” 

“I can’t read common,” he quietly admitted. 

The barista paused. She looked him up and down, analyzing his situation. 

“You can get a coffee with a bit of cream and sugar.” She said. She spoke like his sister used to speak to him when he would scrap his wing while running outside.

“I’ll get that.” 

He had never drank coffee before, but he was hungry and he supposed this would do until he found some more money. Taking the drink from the barista, he thanked her and took his drink outside.

As he took his first sip, he tried to remember the way the sun shone through the hole in the roof of his old room and how tall the sunflowers would get, yet he found himself focusing on the way the cream negated the bitterness and how the temperature was pleasant. As he took his second sip, The City seemed to solidify around him. Maybe, he thought, maybe he could call it home.


	4. Origin story - part 2

Jerome was hoping for a normal day. Well, really he was looking for relaxation on a tropical island but that was a pipe dream at the moment. Instead, he woke up to his apartment flooding because the ceiling had decided to open up and bring the downpour inside. After wading in the water for twenty minutes, he was able to locate his keys but the badge was a lost cause. 

Even though he had worked at the cooperation for almost a month, the secretary insisted that he had never worked there and she would absolutely couldn’t buzz him in without seeing his badge. 

His bag was soaked and the papers inside were ruined. The secretary asked for his phone number to verify him in the system. 

He shouted that he didn’t have one.

The lady huffed and harrumphed over the intercom until he heard the voice of his boss.

“Hey, sonny, I can vouch for you,” BossLady said. “But if I let ya in, ya are gonna run a product to marketing,” she chuckled, “Let this teach ya not to forget ya badge.”

If his apartment was not flooded, he would have just went home. But he needed money. He wanted to eat. So after BossLady gave him a waterproof folder and smiled like a politician, he smiled back and walked away. Twenty more minutes in the rain wouldn’t hurt him. 

Like almost everything in life, he was incorrect. His nose was running like a river and water collected in the gaps between his scales. 

He trudged towards the building and angrily jabbed the buzzer. 

“Jerome?” A voice crackled. 

“Yes.”

“Please proceed to the fifth floor.” The lock on the door clicked as it opened. 

He was not ashamed to admit that he sprinted inside. It was warm. Sue him. 

The secretary here seemed half-dead to the world. He held out a towel when he walked by. “Please dry off before entering the main building.” He placed the folder on the floor and snatched the towel from his hands. The elf tapped a few things on his computer before he straightened in his seat. “Flying beyond the second floor is prohibited due to construction. In addition, the stairs are closed to foot traffic for the next few hours. Sorry for any inconvenience.” 

“How am I supposed to get up to the fifth floor then?” He asked as he handed the towel back.   
The receptionist pinched it between his fingers. “As I stated before, we apologize for any inconvenience. Please turn right in the next hallway. You will be able to use the elevator for all upper floors.” The receptionist flicked his hand like a king dismissing the lowly court jester from his court. He left as directed. 

The universe gifted small favors as he was the only being waiting in front of the elevator. As soon as he was inside, he smashed the close door button. Socialization was overrated and by gods, he wanted to spend a moment alone. Yet, a Qilin managed to squeeze in just before the doors closed. The Qilin didn’t seem to be able to stay still. His tail lashed back and forth, his eyes darted around the box, he tapped his paws in a strange rhythm. Jerome was going to ask him to stop just as a horrible screeching sound seemed to resonate through the box. The small emergency light by the buttons calmly flashed red. 

The Qilin stopped moving and almost folded in on himself. “Thank the gods.” 

The Qilin opened his briefcase and started pulling out an assortment of papers. 

Jerome wished dragons had eyebrows so he could elegantly raise one. 

The Qilin at least seemed sheepish at his strange behavior, or maybe it was his dead behind the eyes stare. 

“I have a meeting with the board that I haven’t done much preparation for.” The Qilin shuffled the papers. “This elevator is old and will take a long time to fix, so I’m doing the preparation now.” 

Jerome shrugged his shoulders and sat down. “Would it be long enough for me to take a nap?” 

The Qilin nodded but seemed to pause. “I’m going to be practicing out loud in a bit so I’m not sure you can sleep through that.”

Jerome shrugged his shoulders again. This day kept on getting better and better. He stared at the Qilin, bored out of his mind. 

“Since we’re stuck in here. I can listen to you.” Jerome stated. He leaned his back against the wall, wiggling to get more comfortable. He was nearly blinded by the happiness radiating from the smile the Qilin sent him. 

He was nearly asleep when the Qilin cleared his throat. “Um. I will be debuting the beta site for the- uh- system. This site is replacing the old one. And- uh- took some time to program but the people had bought some software so-“ 

“What are you doing?” Jerome said to stop the Qilin from continuing to blather.   
“I’m giving my presentation,” The Qilin huffed. The tail flicking behind him a clear indication of his annoyance. 

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“What?” The Qilin titled his head slightly. 

Jerome vaguely gestured to his whole body. “Everything.”

“Okay, Mr. Communications major, how do I fix it.” 

“First of all, I didn’t even go to college so hah.” Jerome shuffled closer to him. “Second, tell me what you are presenting on and let me see those papers.”

“I’m informing the board of the new system we set up for online ordering and the process that went into it to justify the increase in budget.” The Qilin’s tail idly flicked back and forth. 

“You’re an accountant then? Okay, let me seem here…” Jerome hummed in understanding. The data the Qilin had was good. He could work with this. 

“Here’s an outline you will use. Address the board, thanking them for their contributions and continued support even though those old farts did nothing.” 

The Qilin giggled at his phrasing, the tension in his shoulders lessening. 

“Next, address the department who worked on it. State when they started and when they ended. Spin a story of how they overcame a challenge. Budget or software. You decide.” The Qilin pulled a blank piece of paper and started writing what he was saying. 

“Then, show the site and talk about how state of the art it is. Finish it off by emphasizing how much money this will bring in,” Jerome made eye contact, “The old farts love money.” 

The Qilin giggled again as he finished copying what Jerome had said. 

“This is so much easier. Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me until you’ve tried putting words to it.” 

“Alright,” the Qilin took a breath and began his speech. It was significantly more cohesive than the first one. 

As soon as the Qilin had finished, grinning at the clarity of the presentation, the elevator dropped a little before steadily moving up. Jerome confirmed to himself that it was working as the emergency light had turned off. 

“What a coincidence.” He snorted. 

Jerome helped the Qilin gather his papers. 

“Where are my manners.” The Qilin hit his forehead. “My mother would be appalled. What’s your name? Mine is Xixi.” 

“Jerome. Lovely to meet you Chichi.” 

“Your pronunciation is a little off.” 

Jerome felt his face redden. “Sorry. Uh- Xixi.” 

“No problem,” Xixi said with the same megawatt smile. 

“You know, your instruction was pretty well done. Very clear,” Xixi said suddenly. 

“Really?” 

Xixi gasped. “You could be a teacher!” 

Jerome laughed but Xixi insisted. 

“I don’t think I could deal with a bunch of brats,” Jerome said honestly. 

The door dinged and opened. Xixi stepped off but he then turned and stuck a paw in front of the sensor before the door could close.

“I’d like to talk with you again,” Xixi said.

“I’m on break in two hours,” Jerome said.

“Great! I can meet you at the pho place across the street.” He smiled and ran off before Jerome could say anything else.

“.....heh” He was surprised when he felt the curve at the corner of his mouth. It seems that, for once, he was actually looking forward to socialization.


	5. Origin story - part 3

Xixi was cashing in a favor and made Jerome come over to his office to help with paperwork. Xixi despised paperwork and so did Jerome. But he apparently makes a good cup of coffee so the dragon happily sipped on a cup while filling out spreadsheets. 

They had been at this for about two hours when Xixi’s desk phone started ringing. 

“Hello! You have reached [Imaginary Numbers]. My boss isn’t available at the moment, but I would be more than happy to take a message.” Xixi said with his best customer service voice. 

“I got redirected here for a Jerome. Is he here? It’s about his house.” The voice was slightly distorted through the phone but the regret in the tone was clear.

Jerome, being the nosy bastard he was, grabbed the phone from Xixi. 

“This is Jerome. What do you need?” 

Jerome would probably like another cup of coffee, so Xixi stepped out of the office to give him some privacy and make some more. The TV in the office kitchenette was tuned to a local news channel. The reporter was covering a fire that had recently been put out that had engulfed a few apartment buildings. Xixi felt dread pool in his stomach when he recognized the charred remains of Jerome’s apartment. He quickly finished making the coffee. When he came back, Jerome had his hands over his face. Xixi set the cup down in front of him and he hadn’t looked up. 

“Hey, Jerome? I saw your house on the news. Buddy? Are you okay?” 

“No.” The reply was muffled.

“Do you have somewhere you could go?” 

“No.”

“Is there something I can do to help?” Xixi put a hand on his shoulder. Jerome’s body tensed and he seemed to lean away from him.

“No.”

“...I’m sorry Jerome, I know it’s-“ Jerome slapped his hand off of his shoulder. 

Jerome looked at him, his body almost shaking from the force of his anger. Xixi tried to back away, but each step he took Jerome took one.  
“No! It’s NOT okay! I’m not okay! Why the FUCK do you even ask me every time! It’s fucking obvious I’m not okay! And don’t tell me you feel sorry, cuz you don’t! You don’t know how I feel!” He sucked in a breath, “I have to suffer in this miserable little town every day while _you_ get all the good things! How can _you_ , concentrated **LUCK** in physical form, possibly ever understand how I feel? Nothing ever goes wrong for you! Nothing! Why do you even care about how I feel! Why do you even care about me! You can’t feel sorry for me! Heck,” he laughed like he was gargling nails, "You probably don’t even know what it _means_ to feel sorry!”

Xixi felt the edge of the desk dig into his back as he kept trying to back away. Jerome closed the distance and started jabbing a claw at him as if he could push the anger taking over his body into Xixi.

“So NO! You can’t help me! And I don’t want you to help me! I don’t even want to see your face! You just make me feel more miserable by radiating joy! And that’s all you can do because that’s how you were born! With that fake smile forever stuck on your face and knowing nothing about the sufferings in the world! And having no care for any of it! Including me!” Jerome pulled Xixi up by his tie, “Because you’re just some god’s God damn _pet_ that came down to the mortal world to make it worse by Mocking us with your so-called prosperity and happiness!”  
Jerome let go of his tie, the holes from his claws standing out in the fabric. 

Xixi shakily placed a paw over the holes and stared at him, eyes wide. It hit him like a bus as Xixi started inching around him. 

“No...no wait! Xixi, I-“ 

Before he could string a thought together, Xixi sprinted out of the room. Jerome sat down at the desk, unable to comprehend his behavior. That’s when he noticed the cooled cup of coffee sitting in that stupid smiley face mug staring at him. 

“...oh I really fucked up…,” he sighed, “again.” 

Jerome knew he needed to apologize. He desperately wanted to apologize. But he had no idea how to go about that without sounding whiny and stupid. He also had no idea where Xixi was. That was another problem. So, as any rational person would do after cursing out a very good friend (His only friend. Damn it that’s pathetic), he ran around the district looking for Xixi. He rationalized that it was a smallish district and there were only so many places to be. 

Though after three hours of running, he thought he was going to die and still had not found Xixi. Jerome was not mentally prepared when he finally did find him. Three hours and he still had no idea how to begin. 

So between gasping breaths, he stuttered out “...hey, Xixi. I’m sorry about...About what I said earlier... I-I didn’t mean-“

“You’re right,” Xixi stated, cutting him off.

“W-what?” 

Xixi nodded to himself before turning from Jerome and walking away. Jerome slowly walked behind him, unsure if he had been dismissed or not.

They walked like this for a block before Xixi spoke. “I don’t know how you feel. I don’t know how you feel because I haven’t been in the same situation. As you said, nothing ever goes wrong for me. I’m in no place to tell you I know how you feel, or that everything’s going to get better.” He said calmly, as if discussing the weather, sounding almost like he is the one apologizing.

“Xixi-“ Jerome began but stopped as Xixi suddenly stopped walking and stared at the lamppost across the street. 

“But I want it to get better,” Xixi locked eyes with him, “I want things to be better for you. I want to understand how you feel so I can help.” 

Xixi started walking again, motioning with a swish of his tail for Jerome to walk next to him. 

“Not having bad things happen to me doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain, especially when there’s pain and misery around me when the people I care about are hurt. I care about you, Jerome, because you’re my best friend. I’ll never stop caring about you. This means when you suffer, I suffer too. If I can take some pain onto myself to make you feel better, I would. But that’s not how it works, is it?”

Jerome wanted to say something but his tongue felt like stone. Xixi didn’t seem to notice, staring at the sidewalk as they continued walking.

“Whenever I see you in pain, I feel pathetic. I keep asking these questions because I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help you because I’ve never been in the same situation, because I’m the goddamn physical form of luck. All my advice would be baseless and useless. So the only thing I can do is to force myself to stay cheerful and happy, to slap on that stupid grin, in hope that it’ll rub off on you. Hoping that it’ll make you feel better... and make myself feel better. I was meant to bring happiness and prosperity to the world, but how can I possibly do that if I can’t even help a friend in pain? If some god made me only to make the world feel more miserable, to make the people I care about feel miserable, then…then I wish I never existed in the first place.” At the end of his speech, Xixi sighed as if the weight of the world had become nestled within his chest. 

Jerome was at a complete loss at what to do. He never had friends growing up so his social skills were lacking. Jerome didn’t know what to say to describe the joy he felt when spending time with Xixi or knowing that Xixi remembers how he likes his coffee and going so far to keep some in his office just for him, though he would never touch the stuff. His best friend was hurting and he was the cause. Worst of all, he didn’t know how to fix it.

Xixi shook himself and he became noticeably less tense. “Sorry…I… I don’t know what got into me.”

“I’d say my depression but your skull is too thick to be penetrated by it,” Jerome said, going for sarcasm by reflex. He froze, cursing his big mouth.

“...huh, you’re probably right,” Xixi said with a shrug.

“As I always am…,” he said with relief. “I really am sorry though.”

“Apology accepted.”

And that was that. They had never had a true fight before now, so without saying a word, they let themselves simply walk for a few more minutes, enjoying the peace that came after the dissipating tension.

Jerome was the one to break the silence, “Xixi?”

“Yeah?” Xixi said while turning to look at him. 

“It might not mean much but… I am glad some godforsaken deity made you into existence…,” and because he could not handle feelings, “I have to thank them for creating the best coffee maker in the whole world.”

“Why thank you, I do believe coffee is the only thing I can make, after all those years of internships, even though I don’t really appreciate it myself. And it actually means a lot… though I would prefer that you don’t call my mother a ‘godforsaken deity.’” Xixi said with a smile.

“Wait... What? Your mother?”

“Yes? Did you really think I was magicked into existence by some higher power?”

“...yes?” Jerome sheepishly said. Any karma points he may have won for making Xixi smile are now null and void.

“I was just using it figuratively.” Xixi chuckled. “I was under the assumption that you knew I have parents, even though I never deliberately told you so.”

“...well assume now that I am not informed on this.”

Xixi stopped walking. “Wait, really? Who did you think all those phone calls were from?” He said in shock that his friend was really such a dumbass.

“...Friends from work? Your boss?”

“What kind of co-worker calls me every day just to say hello and asks me where I want my old books to be stored???”

“... the very caring and nosey kind?”

“Oh, my gods you’re unbelievable!”

“Well excuse me for wanting to be polite and not pestering you about family systems in the Eastern kingdom! I didn’t want to just assume and make things awkward!” Jerome said with indignation. Xixi snorted in surprise before breaking into full-blown laughter. Jerome stared at him before laughing as well. 

“Hey Jerome, I see a cafe across the road,” Xixi said after calming down. 

He nearly started laughing again when Jerome whispered, “The happy bean juice calls me.”

“While we are there, we can talk about your living arrangements.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Though I suppose you’re not totally wrong, my mother is a minor deity after all.”  
> “...Your mom is a WHAT now?”  
> “Well yeah? Most Lōngmanese dragons have some level of godhood and Qilins are part dragon so…I mean the whole ‘bringing prosperity and happiness across the land’ isn’t completely baseless”  
> “You know what that explains a lot of things.”


	6. Moonstone and Silver

Moonstone and Silver moved into the [insert name] apartment a few months ago, seeking new publishing opportunities in the globalized metropolis. With the meager wages they earned as writers for a nameless magazine, they managed to afford a decent double flat. The landlady, a motherly dwarven woman, seems to have given them a couple’s discount, something about “young love reminding her of her youth.”

However, they are far from the oddest in the apartments. The landlady accepted all kinds to her home. Among all the oddities in the apartments, one, in particular, stands out from the rest: a young, well-dressed, way-too-normal-looking accountant, who happens to live next door.

Their first encounter with the odd accountant happened on the second day they moved in, when the doorbell suddenly rang. Happy for an excuse to escape unpacking the piles of boxes (they have a lot of unfinished drafts), Moonstone hopped over to open the door: “Who’s there?”

“Hello! I’m Xixi, your next-door neighbor!” 

She simply stared at the creature in front of her, mouth opening and closing, unable to formulate a proper response to the polite and cheerful greeting. She can’t exactly blame her brain for not sending instructions to the rest of her body, since the sheer amount of information presented was quite difficult to process. It was like someone made a collage from too many kinds of animals: the head of a dragon, face of a wolf, horns of a deer, scales of a fish, mane of a horse, tail of an ox, paws of a cat, which seems to be holding a decorated box of some sorts.

“Hello? Miss?” 

Fortunately, Silver was here to save the day: “Sorry, she’s feeling a little tired. This is Moonstone. I am Silver. Pardon me but I didn’t quite catch your name?”

“Oh, that’s completely fine! I understand unpacking can be quite exhausting. Nice to meet you Silver and Moonstone, my name is Xixi.” The creature flashed a bright smile, allowing some small, sharp teeth to show. 

“Nice to meet you, too, Xixi. Are you our new neighbor?”

“Yes, I am! I heard that you two moved in last night and wanted to come and say hello. Oh! And I brought a gift, here!”

“Why thank you, what is it?”

“Oh, just some tea from my hometown. They’re hard to come by in the city so I always bring some back with me every time I go back home. Hope you’ll enjoy them! I’m afraid there’s not much caffeine in there but the taste is quite soothing.”

“Thank you very much, we’ll be sure to try them.”

“Oh it’s nothing much, I mostly just wanted to meet my new neighbors! Well now that we’re acquainted, I’ll leave you two to your unpacking. Have a nice day!” Xixi waved with another bright smile while walking down the hallway. 

“You too” Silver replied with a little wave. 

Sighing, Silver looked at the frozen statue of a faun next to her: “Moonstone? Are you oka-”

“What in god's name was that MAJESTIC BEAST.”

“Thank you for not saying that in front of our new neighbor.” Silver chuckled. “That was a Qilin. It is rare to see them.”

“A what?”

“A _Qilin_ , a part-dragon mythical creature from the East.”

“Only part dragon? That looked more like _part-everything_ to me!”

“Well, historical records were a bit unclear on the other part of their heritage, so you’re not completely wrong.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a few months of living in the apartment, Silver and Moonstone learned to truly appreciate their luck-reincarnate neighbor. After a few back-and-forth visits to the neighboring flat, they had gotten into the habit of writing in Xixi’s apartment on the day before their deadline. The most logical explanation for this would be that Xixi would always kindly provide them with food and nourishment when they frantically typed down whatever was going to appear on a crappy magazine the next day. The less logical explanation would be that everything seems to just go smoother. The 10-year-old laptop that breaks down constantly would work 5 times as fast as usual, almost like it’s brand-new. The low-speed internet at the apartment loads web pages in milliseconds. Even the coffee cups seemed to never spill no matter how close their flailing elbows came to tipping them over. 

Thanks to all the minor miracles that happen when they’re around the Qilin, they were able to pay their monthly rent while making a new acquaintance into a new friend. After a few conversations over tea - which was indeed very soothing - they also got to know another person, or more accurately, a certain dragon. 

“So, this Jerome fella. How long have you been friends with him?” Moonstone leaned onto the table towards Xixi. 

“Oh I dunno, a few months maybe?” Xixi scratched his face, “We met not long before you guys moved it. We just have a lot of time to talk since we work for the same company. We also always get lunch together, or dinner if work drags on for long enough.” 

“Well now we know where you were all those times you came back late.” Silver’s commented offhandedly.

Ignoring Silver, Moonstone continued to stare Xixi in the eye: “Soooo you’ve known him about as long as you’ve known us?”

“Yes? I believe so.”

“And you just happen to spend more of your day with a co-worker that bumped into you a single time, who works in a department that’s in _another building_ and somehow manages to always catch you in the dining hall during every lunch break, then us, your neighbors that stay at home all the time and are almost always available?”

“....yes?”

“Hmmmmm…..”

Moonstone held her suspicion for another month, until one day they finally got to meet this dragon, who occupied their friendly neighbor’s daily life, face-to-face. 

It was just like any other typical day in The City. Nothing big happened, except for that fire that broke out in the apartment buildings at old downtown yesterday. Waking up at around high noon, Moonstone got herself a nice cup of Xixi-provided leaf water. That’s when she heard the familiar soft paw steps outside the door, along with a heavy dragging noise that is much harder to miss. Focusing her attention, Moonstone was able to make out a quiet conversation going on in the hallway.

“Are you sure it’s fine? I don’t think the landlady would like another tenant who couldn’t pay rent immediately.” A slightly gruff voice said. Moonstone didn’t recognize the voice. She leaned her ear against the door to make out the conversation better. 

“Yes, I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. The rent wouldn’t change just because one more person is living in my flat, so we’ll be fine until next month. By then you would’ve already gotten your paycheck. Paying the rent would be very easy with both of our incomes. If you’re so worried I’ll give her a call later to confirm.” Moonstone leaned back in surprise that Xixi brought someone home. 

“Well… okay, if you say so.” The same voice said again, sheepishly.

“Hey! At least now I can actually get a good breakfast in the morning! I’m sure you can cook much better than I can.” Xixi said with his typical enthusiasm. “Sorry for the wait. I can’t find my keys.”  
“No problem. But, yeah, I’m quite certain that no one can top your attempt at making a sandwich in the breakroom.”

“Hey! That sandwich tasted fine!”

Moonstone leaned away from the door again as the gruff voice got much louder, “No it was an abomination. Who even puts _yogurt_ in a sandwich? Paired with Cottage cheese no less. It was absolutely horrifying. Definitely the most sacrilegious thing I have ever seen.”

“Well, I like it so you better put up with it! My house, _my rules_.”

“Well it’d be my house too wouldn’t it.”

“Touché. Welp, welcome to my humble flat, Jerome.”

 _Jerome_. Moonstone felt the adrenaline flow through her body when Xixi spoke the name of the dragon he was dating. Not being able to hold back the hype that came with her sudden revelation, Moonstone burst out of her door and shoved the cup directly at the dragon: “YOU!”  
The dragon was fairly short for his age. But despite being quite twig-like, he had beefy arms. Moonstone wouldn’t have pegged Xixi for an arm dude. 

“What the, watch it! Xixi, who is this crazy goat lady?”

“Well, uh, Jerome, meet Moonstone, my next-door neighbor. Moonstone, this is Jerome.” Xixi said. 

“I _know_ ,” Moonstone all but purred, “It’s the dragon dude you keep talking about it.” She turned and pointed the mug, tea almost spilling, at Jerome. “Finally, we meet, _dragon_.” She declared with a maniacal grin. 

“Well, nice to meet you too, Moonstone the crazy goat lady.” The dragon said with sass. Moonstone liked him more. 

“What’s going on here?” Silver’s tired voice popped in from the doorway. “Is Moonstone bothering you again, Xixi? Oh,” She looked at the dragon, “It’s you.”

“I know right!!! It’s him! He’s actually here!!!” Moonstone screamed while waving her arm up and down, the tea in the cup again almost spilling out. 

“Wait so these two are the “accomplished writer neighbors,” you told me about? I honestly had a much better mental image and this is not what I imagined. I thought this apartment was kinda pricey.” Jerome raised an imaginary eyebrow.

“I know what you were implying there! We got a discount ya big doofus! Cuz we’re a couple!” Moonstone refocused on Jerome.

“Well, we actually might not be the only ones getting a discount now, since he’s moving in.” Silver stated, sipping something from a mug. 

Moonstone gasped in delight. “You’re right!” 

“Wait, what? Why would Jerome moving into my flat give us a discount?” Xixi was finally able to cut in between the two after Moonstone stopped glaring at Jerome. 

“Well, duh, because - wait, first of all, why is he moving in with you? OH MY GODS, are you two getting MARRIED?????” Moonstone screeched. 

“What, no? Why would we be getting married?” Xixi said, confused. 

Silver pushed her wife out of the doorway. “Ah, then it’s because this is starting to get serious, right? Oh my gosh!” Silver said, infected by the excitement from her wife.

“Uuuuh, I guess???” Xixi said in the same confused tone as before. 

“Yesss! I’m so happy for you! But more importantly-” Moonstone turned to glare at Jerome again, somehow more menacingly, “YOU better not make him upset, or else-”

“Okay, okay Moonstone I think that’s enough. These two still have to settle down and we have more writing to do. You can threaten this poor soul later.” Silver started pushing the maniac faun further inside their flat. “We’ll see you guys later, Xixi.” Silver waved the mug. 

“Yes, later, and remember, I’ll be _watching_ you.” Moonstone’s glare stayed on Jerome as Silver dragged her inside and close the door.

“Okay, see you guys later.” Xixi smiled with a raised eyebrow. “Well that was weird, but just typical Moonstone I guess. Let’s get you inside, Jerome. Jerome?” Xixi looked questioningly at Jerome.

Said dragon has stayed in a frozen state for quite a while, not even retorting back at any of Moonstone’s threats. Still wearing a shocked expression on his face, Jerome followed Xixi into the apartment. 

Only after they're inside did Jerome’s mind appear to start functioning again: “Xixi?”

“Yeah? What’s wrong?”

“You’re neighbors are a lesbian couple?”

“...yes?”

“And they know that we spend a lot of time together?”

“Yes, I’ve told them about you.”

“... And they just witnessed me moving in with you.”

“Yes? Where are you going with this?”

“Do you know what gay people do with information like that?” 

“No?”

“They think we’re on their side. Swinging that way. Pitching soft paw.”

“...as in?”

“Wearing cuffed jeans. Using hair gel. Understanding men’s cosmopolitan.” 

“... Jerome, you don’t even have hair. I still don’t get what you’re implying.”

“They think _we_ ,” he aggressively gestures between himself and Xixi, “are _dating_!”

“....oh. Why would they assume that?” 

“Because that’s what gay people do.” 

“...okay? I guess we’ll just have to tell them later that we’re just friends.” 

“That won’t solve the problem - never mind, I give up” Jerome slumped forward.

“Well…do you want some coffee?” Xixi offered with an amused smile.  
“Yeah,” came the feeble whisper. 

“Alrighty! One hot cup of Xixi’s special brew coming right up!” The Qilin walked towards the kitchen while humming a little tune.


	7. Drunk Dragon

Xixi didn’t know what to expect when Silver had demanded he give her his number this morning. Certainly not a text during his lunch break saying ‘come collect your man before my wife goes into cardiac arrest’ with a video attachment. The screenshot held no clues besides a very obvious laughing Moonstone, judging by the redness of her face, laughing for a very long time. 

Xixi regretted having his sound as high as it was because as he opened the video Jerome shouted from behind the wall in their apartment, “Right now. Lick it good. Suck this-“ There was a yelp followed by a thump, “MY NECK, MY BACK, LICK MY-“ Xixi instinctual chucked his phone as hard as he could at the table. If Jerome’s singing had not attracted their attention, the sound of hyperventilation and breaking glass did. Xixi wanted to apologize for the outburst, but the bigger part of him wanted to know why Jerome was singing that of all things. He didn’t even think Jero>e knew the lyrics to a song like that. 

Xixi sprinted to his boss’s office to lie about being sick and then sprinted to his desk, shoving things into his briefcase, and then sprinting home. Xixi was not a runner but adrenaline gave a hell of a kick. He was going to find out what made the reserved, grumpy Jerome sing at the top of his lungs about sex organs he did not possess in the middle of the afternoon. 

Like a sphinx in front of a pyramid, Silver was waiting for him in front of the door of his flat. She had an impish smile that sent shivers up and down his spine making his mane literally stand on edge. 

“I see you got my text,” She drawled as he got closer to the door. 

He simply stared in response. Xixi could vaguely hear Jerome singing something slow.  
Silver examined her nails, “I gave him a welcome to the neighborhood gift.”

“What did you give him?” Xixi timidly asked.

“Oh, you know, I had a theory I wanted to prove but I wasn’t sure how to go about experimenting with it.” Silver glanced at him, her grin widening. “Would smaller dragons get drunk easier? Like any good scientist, I had to document the process.” She waved her phone in the air. 

“What did you give him?” Xixi asked more urgently. 

“Vodka. Good ole vodka. Removed the label and dyed it purple,” She waved the phone again, 

“Couldn’t have him postpone drinking it and miss the show.” 

Xixi pushed past her to frantically open the door. Jerome was sprawled like a starfish in the main hallway, fake wine bottle clutched in his claws... He didn’t even notice Xixi come in. His eyes were closed as he hummed and mimed playing the guitar on the bottle. Xixi was dumbfounded and couldn’t find it in himself to do anything besides watch in slight horror.

Silver leaned against him, “He’s such a lightweight.” 

“But you like girls, girls, girls. But you like girls, girls, girls and you don’t like me,” Jerome mournfully sang, once again cutting off any linear thought. Jerome could sing well, his deeper voice complementing the slowness of whatever he was singing. 

“Loverboy here is lonely,” Silver whispered in his ear before leaving, closing the door behind her. 

Xixi shook himself out of whatever brain fart he was in. Jerome suddenly sang with much more force, “I could be a bitch and tell ya a million reasons why being with me would be much better than any other girl,” his voice became quieter again as Xixi approached his prone form, “I would treat ya right and never wrong. Tell ya in my arms is where you belong. But I know-“ Xixi gently touched his shoulder. 

Jerome’s eyes seemed to open at different speeds. A smile spread slowly across his face, “Xixi! My one and only half-dragon brother.” Jerome giggled. Straight up giggled. Xixi felt offended on part of sober Jerome because Jerome did not giggle. 

“How about I get you a cup of tea?” Xixi said, squeezing his shoulder gently. Before he could remove his hand, Jerome sat up and snatched it. 

“Jerome?” 

Said dragon twisted around with all the grace drunk limbs had (none) until he was kneeling with Xixi’s hand held in his own like he was a prince about to kiss it. 

“You are,” Jerome took a deep breath, “MY FIRE.” He stood and spun Xixi away from him. “THE ONE DESIRE.” Jerome pulls Xixi back towards him. “BELIEVE ME, WHEN I SAY.” He suddenly dipped Xixi. “I WANT IT THAT WAY.” Jerome then dropped him on the ground before stumbling into a solo dance routine. Xixi officially knew he had no idea what was going on. Whatever just happened, it did so quickly that he felt like a sack of potatoes being flung around. He sat up from the ground and decided to make himself a cup of tea and turn on the coffee maker for Jerome. 

He sat gingerly, sue him his tailbone hurts, in a chair at the kitchen table while he waited for the kettle to boil. He could hear Jerome belt out “IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE FOR US” from somewhere in the apartment before a massive thud and then a pitiful “owwie.” But then there was silence. It stretched long enough for the water to boil. Xixi wanted to laugh or at least chuckle, but his concern that the drunk idiot had fallen out of the window or something outweighed his amusement. He left the kitchen, after turning off the stove and listening for the kettle to stop whistling. 

He found Jerome squatting slightly above the floor with big fat tears running down the sides of his face scales. There was a cut that ran the length of his forearm and a bloody corner of the desk. 

“Oh, Jerome,” Xixi sighed. 

Jerome hiccuped and scratched vigorously at the cut.

“Hey, hey. Stop that,” He said as he held Jerome’s claws pressed palms together between his own paws. 

Xixi made a mental note to yell at Silver later as he escorted the very drunk dragon towards the kitchen. Jerome still had those big fat tears on his face when Xixi left to get the first aid kit. He spoke calmly to him, as he learned in the first aid course to do, telling Jerome what he was doing before he would do it. The tears had finally stopped as Jerome picked at the bandage wrapped around his arm. 

“Are you okay?” Xixi said when Jerome still had not said anything.

He nodded. 

“Are you mentally okay?”

Jerome slowly nodded, almost like he was bobbing his head to a beat. “Bad memories,” He whispered. 

Xixi was really going to have some words with Silver about getting the emotionally unstable dragon vodka and leaving him pretty much unsupervised for the majority of the day. 

“Would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?” Xixi offered, unsure how to otherwise help. 

Jerome nodded again, but with a bit more vitality than before. 

Before long, Xixi sat down with a cup of green tea that mom had sent and gave Jerome his cup of coffee. Jerome lightly hugged the mug. 

“You can sing well.” 

Jerome shrugged slightly while taking a sip. 

“I’d like to hear you sing again. When you’re not drunk enough to do the tango with me.” 

Sober Jerome would regret agreeing to this, but drunk Jerome was too content just sitting with his friend and a cup of coffee made especially for him.


End file.
